College immunization requirements in New York
The short answer
New York is one of the few states with a college immunization statute. PHL §2165 requires students born on or after January 1, 1957 and enrolled for 6+ credit hours to show proof of immunity to measles, mumps and rubella. PHL §2167 requires every student to either receive the meningococcal vaccine or sign an acknowledgement that they were informed about meningococcal disease and declined.
New York Public Health Law §2165 & §2167
Proof of immunity to measles, mumps and rubella for students in 6+ credits, plus a meningococcal vaccine or signed informed declination for every student.
New York State Department of Health · NY PHL §2165 & §2167
Baseline requirements in New York
What most institutions in New York require, resolved from the statute or system policy plus national CDC/ACIP guidance. Individual campuses may add to this.
All students
| Vaccine | What's required | Status |
|---|---|---|
| MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)Verified | Two doses of MMR or serologic proof of immunity for students born on or after Jan 1, 1957 and enrolled in 6+ credits. | Required |
| Meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY)Verified | Meningococcal (MenACWY) dose received at age 16+, or a signed acknowledgement that the student was informed and declined. | Required / declination |
| Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis)Derived | Tdap within the last 10 years (common campus requirement). | Required |
| Varicella (chickenpox)Derived | Documented immunity to varicella (common campus requirement). | Required |
Living in a residence hall
| Vaccine | What's required | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY)Derived | Many New York campuses require a current MenACWY dose for students living in residence halls. | Required |
Recommended
| Vaccine | What's required | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Meningococcal B (MenB)Derived | MenB series recommended for young adults (ages 16–23) through shared clinical decision-making. | Recommended |
| Influenza (seasonal)Derived | Annual seasonal influenza vaccine for all students. | Recommended |
| COVID-19Derived | Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination per current CDC guidance. | Recommended |
Health-professions & clinical-rotation students
Students placed in clinical sites carry an occupational-health style clearance on top of the all-student requirements — titers, TB screening and annual boosters tied to a clinical site.
| Vaccine | What's required | Status |
|---|---|---|
| MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)Derived | Documented immunity to measles, mumps and rubella by titer or a two-dose series. | Required |
| Varicella (chickenpox)Derived | Documented immunity to varicella by titer or vaccination. | Required |
| Hepatitis BDerived | Complete Hepatitis B series plus a positive surface-antibody (anti-HBs) titer before patient contact. | Required |
| Tuberculosis screeningDerived | Baseline tuberculosis screening (IGRA preferred) on entry, with annual screening based on risk assessment. | Required |
| Influenza (seasonal)Derived | Annual seasonal influenza vaccination during clinical rotations. | Required |
Sources & provenance
- Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCDC immunization of health-care personnel guidanceReference →
- Advisory Committee on Immunization PracticesCDC/ACIP recommended immunization scheduleReference →
- New York State Department of HealthNY PHL §2165
- New York State Department of HealthNY PHL §2167
Institutions in New York
40 institutions — open one for its full vaccine list, deadlines and clinical-rotation rules.
Recent updates · New York
- 2026-05-20guidanceNew York reaffirms PHL §2167 meningococcal declination workflow
State guidance restates that every student must either receive MenACWY or sign an informed declination — the resolver flags this as a required-or-declination rule.
Frequently asked
Does New York require vaccines for college students?
Yes. PHL §2165 requires proof of immunity to measles, mumps and rubella for students enrolled in 6+ credits, and PHL §2167 requires every student to either receive a meningococcal vaccine or sign an informed declination.
Which vaccines do most New York colleges require?
Across New York campuses the common core is MMR (2 doses), meningococcal MenACWY, Tdap and varicella, with Hepatitis B for younger or health-professions students.
About this page. Illustrative concept generated by Enterprise Health to demonstrate a programmatic, knowledge-graph-driven requirements library. Confirm current requirements with each institution and the New York State Department of Health.
Enterprise Health runs student immunization compliance in New York
One ONC-certified record per student, automated holds, and reporting that rolls up across every campus in the system.